Republican News · Thursday 30 May 2002

Loyalists besiege Antrim school

BY SEÁN MacEACHAIDH

On Thursday 23 May, parents of St Malachy's High School in Antrim Town held a public meeting to seek an end to the loyalist intimidation and threats from the UDA's youth wing. Since the start of the new school year, pupils attending the school have been under constant threat from loyalists connected to the Ulster Young Militants.

The meeting was attended by Sinn Féin's Antrim Town councillor Martin McManus, himself an ex-pupil of the school. The Sinn Féin councillor was the sole public representative to attend the meeting despite invitations having been sent to all local councillors. McManus vowed "to pursue every avenue to end the growing UDA intimidation of Catholic schoolchildren".

A spokesperson for the parents told An Phoblacht that parents were angry that no representative from the school, including the school principal, was present at the meeting.

Parents said that there has been intimidation against their children since September but that there has been a notable increase of attacks, threats and intimidation over the last two months. One parent says her son was hit with a bottle and required three stitches when he was attacked on his way home from school.

When contacted by An Phoblacht, the school principal, Mr Quinn, expressed his support for the parents and their concerns. He conveyed his wholehearted sympathy regarding the safety of the pupils and emphasised that parents ought not to consider his non-attendance at the meeting as indicative of a "less than appropriate interest" on his part. Quinn said that he intends to arrange a meeting with the parents.

Antrim father is accusing the RUC/PSNI of mistreating his 13-year-old son after an incident at St Malachy's High School. Paddy Murray told An Phoblacht that on Friday 10 May his son was "manhandled into an RUC/PSNI vehicle and forcibly held there for a long time".

Murray criticised the school authorities as the RUC/PSNI were in the school grounds when they detained his son and that the incident happened in full view of teaching staff. "My son's alleged offence was that he gave the fingers to either the RUC/PSNI or loyalists who were gathering outside the school," said Murray.